Posts Tagged ‘Thought Patterns’

Getting the best from yourself and others all starts with one: one thought … one word … one action.
“One” is the first note in orchestrating the personal attitude that shapes and directs your life – and impacts the members of your team. Contrary to the lyrics from a classic rock song, one is not the loneliest number. It’s the most important one!
Your thoughts, words, and actions are like individual notes that work in concert to create the power of one person – YOU – to make a difference. You can harness your “power of one” if you simply:

Catch one negative thought and turn it into a positive one;

Think of one thing for which you are grateful at the beginning of each day;

Say one “Fantastic!” when a friend or team member asks how you are doing;

Assume the best in one upcoming situation;

Keep on moving one more time when you experience adversity;

Help one friend or colleague in a time of need – and take pride in it.

Many people used to feel that one vote in an election couldn’t really make a difference. Well, recent political elections that have been decided by razor thin margins have proven them wrong. A single
act can make a difference … it can create a ripple effect felt many miles and people away. So, ask yourself: What’s one thing I can do today that will make a positive difference in my attitude? Then DO IT!
Repeat that process every day and your life will improve – and so will the lives of the people you lead. Attitudes are truly powerful … and they’re contagious!

Be nice to people on your way up. You might need them on the way down. — Jimmy Durante

Gray Lawrence

“I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” Stephen Covey

Gray Lawrence

The Greatest leaders of the world were men and women of quick decision -Napoleon Hill

PMA added:

A positive mental attitude is an irresistible force that knows no such thing as an immovable body.Time and again we hear stories about ordinary people who do seemingly impossible things when they find themselves in an emergency situation. They perform herculean feats of strength and endurance, things they never dreamed they were capable of doing. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could harness that strength and make it available anytime you need it? You can — if you believe you can. No doubt you can remember a time in your life when you were exceptionally focused on your objective, a time when you achieved more in less time than ever before. Perhaps it was an impending vacation that motivated you to get everything done before you departed, or perhaps it was a “must pass” exam that helped you focus your concentration. The intensity that you developed in those situations is always available to you when you have a Positive Mental Attitude. Napoleon Hill

WRITTEN by MARC CHERNOFF

“The past has no power over the present moment.” ―Eckhart Tolle

There is great value in every act of forgiveness. You can forgive yourself, you can forgive others, and you can forgive even when you don’t know exactly who to forgive, because forgiveness is not about who is to blame or who is at fault. It is about letting go, completely and permanently within yourself.

Forgiveness is recognizing the reality that what has happened has already happened, and that there’s no point in allowing it to dominate the rest of your life. Forgiveness refreshingly cleans the slate and enables you to step forward. Here are five unique ways to make this step possible:

1. Stop trying for a while.

When you see yourself as trying – to do something else or get somewhere else – you don’t interpret what you have and where you are as being good enough. This perception of constantly trying makes living seem like an endless struggle.

There is great value within you right here, right now. Allow it to come out, willingly and without a struggle. Instead of trying to get to some other point in your life, give your full attention to doing your very best with the life you are living now. Instead of believing that you are not there yet, be grateful that you are right where you are meant to be at this moment.

Yes, by all means set goals and take steps in the right direction, but don’t disregard the steps as you take them – these steps are your life’s story. Let go of all the needless trying and let yourself take these steps peacefully and mindfully. Let go of the judgments, forgive the past, and let this moment be as incredible as it is. (This is something Angel and I discuss in the Adversity and Happiness chapters of 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently.)

2. Be the watcher of your thoughts and emotions.

In his best selling book, The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle tells us to be the watcher of our thoughts. What he suggests is that instead of trying to change our thoughts – via gratitude or deliberate forgiveness, for example – we need to simply notice our thoughts without getting caught up in them.

You are ultimately the sole creator of your own feelings. When negative thoughts arise based on past experiences or future worries, as they sometimes will, realize that these are simply issues your mind (not you) is working through. Pause, be present and pay close attention. Think about these thoughts and emotions consciously, almost as if you were a bystander looking in. Separate yourself from your mind’s thinking.

Perhaps after you study your thoughts and emotions you will think to yourself, “Wow, am I really still working through that?” And guess what? Over time, your negative feelings and emotions will lessen and genuine awareness, love and acceptance will grow in their place. You will begin to realize that your mind is just an instrument, and you are in control of your mind, not the other way around.

By not judging your thoughts or blaming them on anyone else, and merely watching them, there will be a big shift within you – your sense of self worth.

It’s not like you won’t get upset anymore or never feel anxious, but knowing that your thoughts and emotions are just fleeting feelings that are independent of YOU will help ease your tension and increase your positive presence, allowing you to forgive and let go.

3. Love.

Feeling sorry for yourself and sabotaging the present moment with resentful thoughts of the past won’t make anything better. Hurting someone else will never ease your own inner angst.

If you’re disappointed with yourself or frustrated with someone else, the answer is not to take it out on the world around you. Retribution, whether it’s focused on yourself or others, brings zero value into your life.

The way beyond the pain from the past is not with vengeance, mockery, bullying or retaliation, but with present love.

Forgive the past, forgive yourself, forgive others, and love the present moment for what it’s worth. There are plenty of beautiful things to love right now; you just have to want to see them. Loving is never easy, especially when times are tough, yet it is easily the most powerful and positively enduring action possible.

If you’re feeling pain, don’t take action that creates even more pain. Don’t try to cover darkness with darkness. Find the light. Act out of love. Do something that will enable you to move forward toward a more fulfilling reality. There is always something good you can do. There is always love to give. Fill your heart with it and act in everyone’s best interest, especially your own.

4. Seek positive revenge by living well.

Are you contemplating revenge? You know that’s negative thinking getting the best of you. However, there is a way to seek revenge positively.

How? Forget about them. Remember you. Working on a better you is more fulfilling than hanging on to contempt of others. Let it all go and hold on to your growth and kindness instead. If you train yourself to consistently be more loving in thoughts and actions, your positive energy will attract more positive results into your current reality.

Be unlike the person or situation that hurt you. Let go and grow past your pain. Carry on living well in a way that creates peace in your heart. The energy you would spend trying to get real revenge can be better spent creating an amazing future for yourself.

The bottom line is that the best revenge is happiness, because nothing drives your adversaries more insane than seeing a fresh smile on your face. (Read Buddha’s Brain.)

5. Let go of the need to forgive every mistake.

Mistakes are the growing pains of wisdom. Most of the time they just need to be accepted, not forgiven.

There is an obvious shift in your heart and mind that happens when you go from feeling hurt and upset to peaceful and loving, but it’s not necessarily forgiveness that’s taking place, it’s just the realization that there was nothing to forgive in the first place.

To help you wrap your head around this concept, try to look at your situation from 40,000 feet. Imagine a more seasoned, wiser and more compassionate version of yourself sitting at the mountaintop of life, looking down and watching as the younger minded, current version of you hacks your way through life.

You see yourself holding on to false beliefs and making epic errors of judgment as you manoeuvre through life’s many obstacles. You watch the children of the world growing up in challenging times that test their sense of self-confidence, yet they push forward bravely. You see the coming generation radiating with passion and love as they fail forward, learning through their mistakes.

And you have to wonder: Would this wiser version of yourself conclude that everyone in their own unique way was doing their very best. And if everyone is trying to do their best, what needs to be forgiven? Not being perfect?

Perfection doesn’t exist. Forgiveness is oftentimes the simple realization that there is nothing that actually needs to be forgiven.

Your turn…

Who would you like to forgive? What stressful burdens do you need to let go of and rise above?

We will forget and forgive any judgment error that you make, but integrity mistakes are forever. — David Cottrell

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. Henry David Thoreau

We lift ourselves by our thought. We climb upon our vision of ourselves. If you want to enlarge your life, you must first enlarge your thought of it and of yourself. Hold the ideal of yourself as you long to be, always everywhere." Orison Swett Marden 1850-1924, Inspirational Writer

Vicki is a cookbook author, cooking instructor and artist who loves to inspire people to prepare plant-based healthy food.

If I could share 500 words of wisdom to summarize what I’ve learned so far in life, these are the important things I’d want to pass along to others…

One definition of enlightenment is, "no problems." I like this. At first it seems simplistic, but the more you think about it, the more its wisdom is revealed.

Everyone desires to be healthy and happy, and as I get older I am beginning to believe that it is easier than we think. There’s an enormous amount of confusion, guilt and dysfunction surrounding how to take care of ourselves.

This, I believe, is reinforced by industries that profit from our ignorance. There are only two dietary and lifestyle choices – either we choose to live, and act accordingly, or we choose to die.

When one becomes aware, at a gut level, of the interconnection of all of life, many things are easy to understand. If something is good for you, it is good for the planet and all other beings.

Gardeners know that all living beings want to thrive. Put the right plant in the right place; give it the proper amounts of sunlight, food and water and it will lustfully live out its life. When a plant doesn’t flourish, it is either lacking in or getting too much of something, or being chewed on by something else.

Our bodies are similar in that it is our nature to thrive. If we are not healthy we may have emotions and beliefs that are chewing on us.

It’s interesting to note that insects tend to first attack plants that are unhealthy, and not getting their basic physical needs met. Unlike plants, we, at least those of us in the industrialized nations, have the privilege of choice and, in large, the key to being healthy is in making life-affirming choices.

If you find it difficult to make healthy choices, simply do what you do, consciously. With food, for example, when you eat, eat with awareness of what you are eating, and what went into bringing it to you, as well as how it makes your body feel. If you follow this practice, previously relished but not life-sustaining foods quickly lose their appeal.

The same holds true for all our behaviors, from work to relationships. Being in the present moment and aware of how we are feel is the perfect gage for knowing if something is life affirming.

Our thoughts are not always our allies and can drag us into problems, large and small. Today, I am old enough to look back on 60 years and can see how so many things that once seemed to be tremendous problems were created by me, in my own head.

Life, in its brevity, is sacred, as is the food we eat and the planet on which we live. Taking the time and effort to care for your own unique spark in this universe is one of the best things you can do for yourself and others.

And one last thing, have fun – I didn’t feel wise enough to write this until I went for a swim in my favorite place. A little fun goes a long way towards creating both health and happiness. And remember, that in the end all problems disappear anyway.

"Don’t take anything personally. Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering." Miguel Ruiz Author

We are still masters of our fate. We are still captains of our souls. – Winston Churchill

From The Secret Daily Teachings You cannot bring what you want to you if you are feeling stress. Stress or any tension at all is something you have to remove from your system. You must let the stress go – it is the only way you can bring what you want. The emotion of stress is saying strongly that you do NOT have what you want. Stress or tension is the absence of faith, and so to remove it all you have to do is increase your faith! May the joy be with you, Rhonda Byrne The Secret… bringing joy to billions

A great free way to encourage success and loss the stress free:. The stress response: in the beginning it saved our lives, making us run from predators and enabling us to take down prey. Today, human beings are turning on the same life-saving physical reaction to cope with 30-year mortgages, $4 a gallon gasoline, final exams, difficult bosses and even traffic jams — we can’t seem to turn it off. So, we’re constantly marinating in corrosive hormones triggered by the stress response.

Attitude Success comes to those who become success-conscious. Failure comes to those who indifferently allow themselves to become failure-conscious. – Napoleon Hill

Now, scientists are showing just how measurable — and dangerous — prolonged exposure to stress can be. Stanford University neurobiologist, MacArthur "genius" grant recipient, and renowned author Robert Sapolsky reveals new answers to why and how chronic stress is threatening our lives in Killer Stress, a National Geographic Special. The hour-long co-production of National Geographic Television and Stanford University was produced exclusively for public television.

BeliefThere is a difference between wishing for a thing and being ready to receive it. No one is ready for a thing until he believes he can acquire it. The state of mind must be belief, not mere hope or wish. Open-mindedness is essential for belief. Closed minds do not inspire faith, courage, and belief. Napoleon Hill

In this revelatory film, discoveries occur in an extraordinary range of places, from baboon troops on the plains of East Africa to the office cubes of government bureaucrats in London to neuroscience labs at the nation’s leading research universities. Ground-breaking research reveals surprising facts about the impact of stress on our bodies: how it can shrink our brains, add fat to our bellies and even unravel our chromosomes. Understanding how stress works can help us figure out ways to combat it and mitigate negative impacts on our health.

Character is accurately reflected in one’s mental attitude. Without a strong foundation built on positive character traits, success will not long endure. It is virtually impossible to fake good character. Phonies are quickly spotted because they haven’t the substance and determination to maintain the charade. Developing good character begins with a positive attitude. Your desire to be a good, decent, honest, considerate person must first take place in your mind. When you make the decision to become a person of character, you will also find that you are much more willing to do the right thing simply because it is the right thing to do. – Napoleon Hill

For over three decades, Robert Sapolsky has been working to advance our understanding of stress — in particular how our social standing (our place in various hierarchies) can make us more or less susceptible to the damaging effects of stress. Throughout the film, he weaves the grim realities of the impact of chronic stress with his wry observations about 21st century life. "The reality is I am unbelievably stressed and Type A and poorly coping," says Sapolsky. "Why else would I study this stuff 80 hours a week? No doubt everything I advise is going to lose all its credibility if I keel over dead from a heart attack in my early 50s. I’m not good at dealing with stress. But one thing that works to my advantage is I love my work. I love every aspect of it."

The film is based partly on Sapolsky’s best-selling book Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: Stress, Disease and Coping. In addition to his professorship at Stanford, Sapolsky is a research associate with the Institute of Primate Research at the National Museum of Kenya. He is also the author of Monkeyluv, A Primate’s Memoir and The Trouble with Testosterone, a Los Angeles Times Book Award finalist.

Scientists from the University of North Carolina, the University of London, Rockefeller University and the University of California, San Francisco share their compelling insights into how stress impacts the body, giving stress a new relevance and urgency to our increasingly complex lives. A National Geographic Special

Stress, worry, and anxiety simply come from projecting your thoughts into the future and imagining something bad. This is focusing on what you don’t want! If you find that your mind is projecting into the future in a negative way, focus intensely on NOW. Keep bringing yourself back to the present. Use all of your will, and focus your mind in this very moment, because in this moment of now there is utter peace. May the joy be with you, Rhonda Byrne

I love meeting new people and hearing their story. What’s yours? Gray Success-Team Builder Today and for YOUR Future

PMA added:

“Good morning God – Thank you for this day.”“I have always been joyous this day.”“I have always been happy, healthy and pain free.”“I am ready, willing and able to accept more good into my life than I have ever experienced, imagined, manifested or expressed.”

If I could share 500 words to inspire, this is the important wisdom I’d want to pass along to others…

I wish that someone had given me a blueprint for leading my best life years ago. I am thankful that I can share my more than 20 years of academic and experiential insights with you to help you design your own inspired life.

Practicing the Home in Harmony lifestyle guided me to a healthy, vibrant, and joyful existence. Although my life has had its share of trials, I am grateful for the journey—which has also been filled with glorious moments that have left me in awe. Each moment, good or bad, has brought me to where I am today. Collectively, these moments have given me the experience, training, and expertise to teach this amazing lifestyle to you.

The foundation of designing an inspired, healthy and vibrant home, body, mind and spirit is intended to help you define and navigate your own sacred path. Let’s look at these four foundational pillars:

1. Home: Our home environments either nurture us or drain our energy. You either walk into your home and say “Thank goodness I’m home,” or you look at the stack of clutter on the table and feel defeat.

2. Body: There is an old saying that goes something like this: “If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything.” Our health affects every other area of our life. It’s important to create a body that exudes energy, good health, and vitality.

3. Mind: It’s important in our fast-paced world to find the calm in the midst of chaos. Gaining a clear mind is critical to living your best life.

4. Soul: Studies have shown that a vital component to finding bliss and inner harmony is to find your purpose in life and share it with the world.

When I step back and look at my life, I see a rich, luxurious tapestry woven from a vibrant array of colourful threads. At this distance, a beautiful pattern emerges. But my individual life experiences—the separate strands within the tapestry—didn’t make sense at first, because they were so varied. Similarly, the individual pillars of the Home in Harmony have significance on their own—but together they create a truly inspired life.

The four foundational pillars of the Home in Harmony can help you design the magnificent tapestry of your life. This is a template for extraordinary and inspired living. I encourage you to utilize its four pillars as the structure for a beautifully designed life.

Having an inspired home, a healthy body, a calm mind, and a radiant inner light will help you not just survive but thrive. More specifically, you want to develop a home environment that nurtures you physically, mentally, and spiritually; a level of health and vitality that allows you to move through each day with grace and ease; a tranquil mind that rises above the chaos of modern living; and a state of passionate purpose that lets you share your shining gifts with the world.

If we give kids the foundation to dream, they will figure out the grammar and the history the minute it helps them to reach their goals and make a difference. – Seth

"Your thoughts, and their amazing significance and impact on your life, are the only things that you can control absolutely and consistently. " Dr. Steve G. Jones

The Power is from within, the choice is yoursGray Lawrence Independent Distributor (UW)

"Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start." Nido Qubein